Why we need your help

The School's historic purpose has always been to provide an outstanding education for local boys, whatever their family income. Under the Direct Grant system (1944 until 1979) the Government directly funded places in the School so that the majority of pupils paid no fees at all. During these years, King Edward's was one of the best schools in the country and provided an education that was truly transformational.

In 1979 the Direct Grant system was abolished and replaced by the Government's Assisted Places Scheme, which only provided means-tested support for about one third of pupils. In 1997 this also ended. The days of state funded places for the brightest boys were gone.

Since the end of state funding, the King Edward VI Foundation has provided substantial funds for Assisted Places and now contributes over £1m per year for that purpose. In addition, the generosity of Old Edwardians, former and current parents, and other supporters has raised over £10m for Assisted Places through the AP100 Campaign. Funds raised through the AP100 Campaign are currently funding 100 boys through the School. However, this is still not enough to provide Assisted Places for all boys who achieve highly in the entrance exam and also require financial assistance.

Our vision is to achieve need-blind admission in perpetuity, so that all bright boys from across the region can benefit from a King Edward's education, regardless of their families' financial circumstances. To achieve this we need to impact today to maintain our current levels of financial assistance by fundraising for ten Assisted Places each year, whilst we also secure tomorrow through building an endowment fund of £30m to preserve Assisted Places in perpetuity.

Your support is vital in achieving our vision. There is a long journey ahead of us, but together we can secure the future of this great school and continue to transform the lives of bright boys across the region.